Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson’s free agency situation is moving slowly. The pass rusher has been rumored to be aiming for the exit at the franchise for a while now, but demand isn’t looking very strong at the moment. ESPN’s Adam Schefter weighed in on the situation.
What did he say?
Adam Schefter Says Demand Is Low for ‘Expensive’ DE Trey Hendrickson
Hendrickson spent nine years building himself into one of the top pass rushers in the NFL. After a quiet stint with the New Orleans Saints, his 13.5-sack 2020 campaign signaled a turning point in his career.
He took to free agency the following offseason, landed with the Bengals, and never looked back, recording 57 sacks from 2021 to 2024.
His low demand this offseason is a curious situation, and Schefter offered his thoughts on “Get Up” on Tuesday.
“He’s been in contact with a number of teams, right now,” he said. “The issue, I think, is this. You see the Houston Texans go out and give Danielle Hunter a $40 million a year extension. You see, yesterday, the Carolina Panthers shocked the NFL and Jaelan Phillips $30 million a year.”
.@AdamSchefter gives an update on Trey Hendrickson during NFL free agency 🏈 pic.twitter.com/TyMfEZ8sG5
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 10, 2026
“Trey Hendrickson sees himself in the company of those kinds of players. So you would think there would be a corresponding contract in that vicinity,” he added.
Hendrickson suffered a down year in 2025, playing only seven games due to a hip injury. While he still recorded four sacks, a forced fumble, and eight quarterback hits, there’s reason to believe that his short campaign dented his stock.
Teams aren’t necessarily eager to pay injured players top dollar, and pass rushers don’t normally have a long shelf life, either.
“If there’s not a team out there that’s willing to give you $40 or $30 million, sometimes, it takes a player a little bit of time to understand how the market works, and to accept that just because Danielle Hunter might get 40, you might not get 40 — just because Jaelan Phillips gets 30, doesn’t mean you get 30,” Schefter added.
“So, right now, he’s talked to a bunch of teams, but no one has met his price,” he continued.
Patience is a virtue, and perhaps that’s all Hendrickson needs right now. There are still several teams out there in need of defensive line reinforcements, and the Bengals’ pass rusher still has what it takes to haunt quarterbacks (85.6 PFSN EDGE Impact in 2024).
There is still plenty of time left this offseason for Hendrickson to get paid what he believes he’s worth. However, it’ll be interesting to see whether teams actually budge.
